Elite status is a door the Nuggets stand in front of this season and desperately hope they have the key to open.

And so they claw and scratch and scrape and run (and run and run) themselves ever closer to be considered — truly considered — as a team on the shortlist of those with pressure and expectations to do something great.

Friday night was a nice step in that direction.

In the only meeting between the teams in this lockout-shortened season, the Nuggets put away the Heat behind Ty Lawson and a strong fourth quarter, walking out with an eye-opening 117-104 victory Friday night at the Pepsi Center.

“I think (the win) comes at a good time,” coach George Karl said. “I think the test comes at a good time. Hopefully, we can finish off the homestand with a win and try to put up 11 or 12 wins in the month of January.”

A 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter took a five-point lead (86-81) and made it 14 (95-81). That proved to be too steep a hill for the Heat to climb, and Miami was blown out for its third straight loss on what turned out to be a winless Western swing by one of the NBA’s premier teams.

The Nuggets have won 15 of the last 18 meetings against the Heat and star Dwyane Wade, who has still never beaten the Nuggets in Denver in his career. The Nuggets have beaten the Heat 10 consecutive times at the Pepsi Center, the longest active home winning streak against an Eastern Conference foe.

The victory had a shaky start, but quickly turned the Nuggets’ way.

The Heat jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but the Nuggets answered with a impressive 23-6 run after that to take 23-12 lead.

It was a hot-shooting first quarter, highlighted by the inside game of Timofey Mozgov and Nene. The duo combined for 12 points and seven rebounds in the quarter.

The Nuggets’ lead reached 14 with 2:36 left in the first quarter before Miami started chipping away. By 8:07 in the second quarter, Karl was calling a timeout and the Heat, on a 20-9 run, was down just 37-34.

It reached a 22-9 run before the Nuggets got their feet back under them, but the Heat wasn’t done. Miami took a brief one-point lead and was in the game from there on out.

The Nuggets found a fast-breaking groove in the third quarter. They entered the period with 10 fast-break points and exited with 19. Turnovers were a key — Miami committed six of them in the period. That allowed the Nuggets an opportunity at getting in the open court, and they took full advantage.

The 3-point line was also a big boost for the Nuggets, who hit 4-of-8 from the arc in the period. Miami countered by simply fighting through to stay close, but the Nuggets took a five-point lead into the fourth and closed the game in style.

Lawson returned to the court after missing Wednesday’s game with a strained right foot. But with proper rest, rehab and painkillers, Lawson looked like nothing was ever wrong. He blazed around the court in the most efficient manner, leading the Nuggets with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He added nine assists.

The Nuggets put six players in double figures. Nene finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Miami was led by the stat-stuffing LeBron James, who led all scorers with 35 points and added six assists and five rebounds. Wade, who was irritated enough with referees much of the night that he eventually picked up a fourth-quarter technical foul, scored just 12 points with seven rebounds and six assists before leaving with a sprained ankle.

WASHINGTON — Thirty games into the 82-game NHL season, and nearly six weeks after the Matt Duchene trade, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic discussed the state of his team before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at the Washington Capitals.